Jackson, Miss. – Entergy Nuclear today received from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission an early site permit for a possible new nuclear unit at the Grand Gulf site in Mississippi. The commissioners on March 27 authorized the NRC’s Office of New Reactors to write and issue the permit.

“Successfully completing the application process and receiving one of the first early site permits in the country is an important indication of Entergy’s leadership and expertise in the nuclear life cycle,” said Randy Hutchinson, senior vice president of nuclear business development and new plant activities.

An early site permit certifies that the site is suitable for a new nuclear unit and resolves many safety and environmental issues related to the site. The ESP remains valid for 20 years.

“Taking concrete actions to preserve the option to build nuclear plants in the future is part of our commitment to meet the future energy needs of our customers,” said Carolyn Shanks, Entergy Mississippi president and chief executive officer.

America needs electricity that is generated from a diverse mix of fuels. Nuclear plants are reliable sources of affordable electricity, and they help keep the air clean.

“Expanding our nuclear opportunities also moves Entergy Corporation forward with its voluntary commitment to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions,” said Shanks.

State regulators will be involved as Entergy moves forward in its decision process regarding building new nuclear units.

A decision to build a nuclear plant will be based on a number of factors, including an assessment of customers’ need for additional power; the estimated cost, including interest rates, and construction schedule of the advanced nuclear energy plant; the projected future cost of power from the plant compared to the projected cost of other fuel choices such as coal or natural gas; financial certainty provided by Congressional action to implement and fund provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005; and state regulatory certainty regarding how costs to build a new nuclear plant are to be placed into customer rates.

Hutchinson acknowledged the support from officials and citizens around the existing Grand Gulf unit. “We sincerely appreciate our neighbors in the communities around Grand Gulf and our other nuclear plants,” he said. “We take seriously our responsibility to operate our units safely and to keep those around our plants informed and aware of what we are doing. Entergy and its neighbors benefit from this openness and accessibility.”

Entergy Nuclear announced its intent to submit an application for an early site permit for its Grand Gulf site on April 16, 2002. The application was submitted to the NRC on Oct. 21, 2003. During the 41-month review period, the NRC hosted three public meetings and accepted written comments from stakeholders.

Entergy Nuclear’s work on the early site permit was part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Nuclear Power 2010 program. NP 2010 is a joint government/industry cost-shared effort to identify sites for new nuclear power plants, develop and bring to market advanced nuclear plant technologies, evaluate the business case for building new nuclear power plants and demonstrate untested regulatory processes.

This early site permit will constitute the environmental report for an application for a combined construction and operating license that is targeted for submittal by the end of 2007. The COL application will be from NuStart, a consortium of 12 nuclear companies that includes Entergy Nuclear. NuStart announced Sept. 22, 2005, that it had selected Grand Gulf as one of two plant sites for which it intends to submit COL applications.

NuStart also selected GE’s Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor technology as the design for reference in the COL being developed for the Grand Gulf site. GE’s ESBWR design is among the handful of designs that have been submitted to the NRC for certification. Building to one of a limited number of standard designs is one of the efficiencies that the nuclear energy industry will adopt for the next generation of nuclear plants that are built.

Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.6 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $10 billion and approximately 14,000 employees.

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Entergy Nuclear’s online address is www.entergy-nuclear.com.
 

Click here for the Early Site Permit Announcement Press Kit.